Balbooa Gridbox: Missing authorization check in editor controller
Summary
Gridbox, a page builder extension for Joomla by Balbooa, lacks an edit-level permission check in the getBlogPosts task of its editor controller. Unlike other tasks in this controller, it does not verify the user's rights before processing the order parameter. The CNA rates the flaw CVSS 4.0 9.3 (critical) with a network vector that needs no privileges or user interaction, so the attacker could affect confidentiality, integrity and availability. Whether the endpoint can be reached without a login is not confirmed.
Affected
- Gridbox (component com_gridbox) for Joomla, versions 1.0.0 to 2.20.4.1
- Note: VulDB lists the same range but rates the issue CVSS 6.3 with CWE-269; the CNA values are CVSS 9.3 and CWE-284
Fixed in
- Gridbox 2.20.4.2 (derived from the CVE version range; verify in the vendor changelog)
Workaround
Unknown.
Exploitation
- Not known to be exploited for this CVE; no public proof of concept found at the time of research
- Other Gridbox vulnerabilities have been reported as actively exploited; those are separate CVEs fixed in earlier releases
Our recommendation
- Inventory Joomla sites that run com_gridbox and check the installed version
- Update Gridbox to 2.20.4.2 or later as soon as possible
- Check for unknown administrator accounts and unexpected template changes, because earlier Gridbox flaws led to compromises
- Review whether the affected endpoint is reachable without login and restrict access if possible
- Re-check NVD and the Balbooa changelog once the CVE is analysed
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- Balbooa Gridbox product page www.balbooa.com
- Balbooa newsroom: Gridbox 2.20.4.2 Security Hardening Update www.balbooa.com
- Strix AI: CVE-2026-102789 www.strix.ai
- OffSeq Radar: CVE-2026-102789 radar.offseq.com
- VulDB: vulnerability 427083 vuldb.com
- mysites.guru: Gridbox critical vulnerabilities mysites.guru
- HTProtect: Gridbox security issues htprotect.org
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 31 Oct 2026, 00:38.
Original description (NVD)
Joomla Extension - balbooa.com - Missing Authorization Check on Editor Controller Task in Gridbox < 2.20.4.2 - EditorController::getBlogPosts() reads the order parameter and invokes getBlogPosts() . Unlike other tasks in this controller, it omits the GridboxHelper::checkUserEditLevel() check.
NVD references (1)
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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